Food Security & IT

Earlier, I did hear and read about Food Security but did not dig much to get a better view of the picture. So basically, I got introduced to Food Security when pitching for a client. As our team starting doing research on it, we realized that one of the most important topics doing the rounds today is Food Security. United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO) describes ‘Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life’.

Food Security is not only matter of concern for the developing nation but also for the developed nations. Food wastages, poor storage and distribution facilities, drop in agricultural production and various such issues are threatening the quality and quantity of food. So the question is what can we do to help keep our food secure?

Technology can definitely help increase food production and decrease food wastage. But here I would like to focus on IT and how it can play a role in keeping food secured.

• IT can help the farmers keep track of the weather conditions, hence plan out their agricultural production. It would also give them an indication to sow the appropriate seeds to get a bumper crop.

• IT can help the farmers to connect with the agricultural experts to get tips to increase their agricultural produce.
• IT can also enable the farmers to connect with the various markets spread across the country. The farmers would then know to which market they should send their produce and which markets they should avoid.
• IT can also help out with the storage. If the details about the storage facilities are available online then people would know where the produce can be stored safely and which facilities are overflowing and hence should be avoided.
• IT can help in keeping track of the distribution systems. Easily available information like where the food grains are going or where they are stuck makes it easy to track as well as hold the concerned people accountable.
• IT can also empower consumers with the right information and help them decide from which markets to procure their food stuff. IT can also enable consumers to directly connect with farmers and buy produce straight from the farms.

There are numerous additional ways that IT can help with Food Security. What are your thoughts on this?